Broadcast 2590

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Guest: David Love. Topics: The life and work of Johannes Kepler & other early astronomers. Please direct all comments and questions regarding Space Show programs/guest(s) to the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments and questions should be relevant to the specific Space Show program. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are a violation of our copyright and are not permitted without prior written consent, even if for your own use. We do not permit the commercial use of Space Show programs or any part thereof, nor do we permit editing, YouTube clips, or clips placed on other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted, but the quote must be cited or referenced using the proper citation format. Contact The Space Show for further information. In addition, please remember that your Amazon purchases can help support The Space Show/OGLF. See www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm. For those listening to archives using live365.com and rating the programs, please email me as to why you assign a specific rating to the show. This will help me bring better programming to the audience. We welcomed David Love from the U.K. to our program. Mr. Love has written a terrific book on the life and work of Johannes Kepler and early astronomy history. The book, Kepler And The Universe: How One Man Revolutionized Astronomy, is available through Amazon. If you purchase it, please use the One Giant Leap/Space Show portal. Instructions are on TSS website and all archived program summaries on the website and our blog. Please note that while Mr. Love was originally going to do the hour format show, he remained for the full 90 minute discussion without a break. We started our discussion by my asking David about why he chose to write a book on Kepler and I wondered if the success of the Kepler Space Telescope (KST) had anything to do with his choice. As you will hear, Kepler was always a hero to him and he was not influenced by the KST. Don't miss what he said about his connection to Kepler. David then began discussing Kepler starting with his early life as a student with plans to become a Lutheran minister. His path was changed for him by the Church and others and he eventually became a math teacher as he studied math and astronomy. You will appreciate learning about the events that changed the course of his life from being a minister to one of the key people that revolutionized astronomy with his classic three laws on planetary motion that are still applicable today. Mr. Love took us through several of the Power Point slides that are uploaded to TSS blog so be sure to open the PPT and refer to the slides mentioned during our discussion. I won't summarize what Mr. Love said about each of the slides but the slides are a key part of our discussion so again, I urge you to follow along with his Power Point. We discussed the problems with planetary motion as was known by the early Greek astronomers through the time of Kepler and what Kepler came up with to change our understanding of planetary motion through his Three Laws of Planetary Motion. Linda in Seattle emailed asking if Kepler was well studied in the work of the ancient Greek astronomers. The simple answer was yes. BJohn asked about his classic work, "The New Astronomy." Here, David had much to say about the work and also about his contemporary, Galileo. Carl asked why the Lutheran church resisted science and the work of Kepler. Don't miss what our guest said about this. We talked about the influence of Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Tycho Brahe and others on Kepler. Later, BJohn asked about Kepler being an astrologer which was true. David had lots to say about the "mystical" side of Kepler who never distanced himself from astrology. At one point, our guest said this was an embarrassment! In talking about Kepler and early science discrimination by the Church, David talked about bible references saying the Earth was a fixed body and more. Don't miss this discussion. I asked David if there were relatives of Kepler around today that could actually trace their family tree back to him. David talked about his two marriages and his 12 children. Most of the children died very young, a common problem of the time. He said there were no known relatives of Kepler today. David talked about Kepler's work and family life in Prague, then later in Linz. Paul asked if Kepler used a telescope in his work. Here, our guest talked about the development of the telescope, Galileo's refinement of the telescope, the eventual use of it in Kepler's work but his laws were established using some other crude tools and the naked eye. Near the end of the show, we talked about Kepler's contributions to the design of the modern refracting telescope and optics, especially in glasses that we wear to enhance our vision. I asked David how Kepler and other astronomer's in other parts of Europe communicated with one another. The Latin language was the answer. Kepler worked late in life to 1627. He died in 1630. Near the end of the program, we talked about Kepler's "lucky guesses" about Mars & Jupiter, the Moon and tides, why we see a red lunar eclipse, & his having written the first science fiction book, "The Dream." Our interview with David Love on the life and work of Kepler plus other early astronomers was superb and I am quite sure you will think the same when you hear this MUST HEAR interview. David Love will return to The Space Show for more early astronomy history. When you listen to this program, you will totally understand and agree with his return to the program. Please post your comments/questions on TSS blog above. You can reach David Love through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com.

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